Pricing/Support/Updates

[compositor]

I am interested in purchasing WHMCS, although I am not too turned on by the pricing in relation to updates.

 

My question is, if I purchase a one-time license (branded or not) after the year has expired can I at any time get back onto the train, and would doing so give me access to further updates?

 

I'm not really interested in formal support, as I doubt I'd need it but updates are of course important and while I accept that the nature of the beast may be a rent-seeker; I really feel that pricing is way too high for something like this when you look at a product such as Perch.

[brian!]

My question is, if I purchase a one-time license (branded or not) after the year has expired can I at any time get back onto the train, and would doing so give me access to further updates?

if you purchase a one-time license today, you'll get free support/updates for a year... after that year is up, you won't get access to future updates until you purchase another 1-yr "Support & Updates" package for $100... but the software will continue to work.

 

you can do that at any time after the first year is up... or if you aren't really using formal support, wait until there is a software update that you need and then purchase the updates package - i've done that myself in the past.

 

I'm not really interested in formal support, as I doubt I'd need it but updates are of course important and while I accept that the nature of the beast may be a rent-seeker; I really feel that pricing is way too high for something like this when you look at a product such as Perch.

by the time v7 is released (I assume this month), we won't have had a 'production' software update for 6 months - the usual routine is we get them every couple of months... unless it's a brand new version, and then they'll be an update within a fortnight to correct the bugs not found during development and beta!

[compositor]

Hi Brian,

 

I had a thought, would I be able to simply pay for one month and then terminate my license?

 

I'm more the web developer kind of person and I only need to invoice a person once a year, and as you can see I am really averse to paying a monthly charge (particularly if I am not using it) and while I appreciate the fact that a lifetime license can have access to updates after the initial period (1 year) has expired, from what I have read; support only lasts 6 months thereafter unless I have read something incorrectly.

 

In any case I may still have to get this since even though I only have one client; they insist on being billed as a business.

 

Thank you for replying.

Edited October 1, 2016 by compositor

[brian!]

I had a thought, would I be able to simply pay for one month and then terminate my license?

yes you can get a monthly lease license, but if you do that WHMCS will stop working after termination.

 

https://www.whmcs.com/about/terms-of-service/

 

Leased licenses automatically renew until cancelled. Payment is due on the anniversary of the date of signup each month. If payment is not received within 5 days of the due date, WHMCS Limited will suspend the license until full payment is received and reserves the right to suspend any and all related services for the account in question.

 

I'm more the web developer kind of person and I only need to invoice a person once a year, and as you can see I am really averse to paying a monthly charge (particularly if I am not using it) and while I appreciate the fact that a lifetime license can have access to updates after the initial period (1 year) has expired, from what I have read; support only lasts 6 months thereafter unless I have read something incorrectly.

with a lifetime license, you'll have 3 options - 1) don't buy the updates package, 2) renew for 6 months ($60) or 3) renew for 12 months ($100).

 

In any case I may still have to get this since even though I only have one client; they insist on being billed as a business.

if you only have one client, and intend to use WHMCS only for billing (so no hosting, domain registration, products etc), then i'd be seriously tempted to use something else - unless you're charging your customer a fortune and could justify the expense of purchasing/renewing WHMCS.

 

if it's only one client and one invoice per year, then there are likely free online options that you could use to generate your invoices, take payments etc... I won't list them here, but check your PM for a couple of ideas.

[compositor]

Thanks for that.

 

So I gather WHMCS is more than just a billing solution.

 

Having said that, what else does it do?

 

I have just signed up with a Wholesaler, with an API suited to WHMCS but so far I have been able to order both domains and hosting from them so what is the advantage with WHMCS if not for just invoicing?

 

Cheers

[brian!]

So I gather WHMCS is more than just a billing solution.

Having said that, what else does it do?

I have just signed up with a Wholesaler, with an API suited to WHMCS but so far I have been able to order both domains and hosting from them so what is the advantage with WHMCS if not for just invoicing?

with WHMCS, you can automate the ordering of domain registrations, hosting packages, server provisioning APIs, accept payments etc... i've seen WHMCS used for some weird things!

 

so it's fundamentally a time saving tool - e.g if your client asks you to register a domain for them, you can register it manually via your wholesaler etc; write the invoice manually; take payment; write a note to yourself to send a renewal invoice in x number of years time.... or you can use WHMCS, the client can order the domain themselves, and WHMCS will register it, send the invoice, take the payment, send payment confirmation email and (with a cron running), automatically send the renewal and reminders to the client at the appropriate time.

[compositor]

I'm getting interested

 

My one and only client insists I itemise web hosting and development as separate items but knows I don't own hosting hardware so billing them for a service (aside from development) would not have any kind of itemisation, e.g. bandwidth or storage unless as you say I write up all the details myself so I can see the advantage there, not to mention allowing new people to order services directly from me.

 

On a side note, save creating a new thread; I don't believe that WHMCS 7 supports Weebly so do you think this will change in future because that is something I might even be interested in myself in order to knock up a quick website since while I have very advanced coding skills I'd not need to demonstrate them on my own site, only a site I have developed.

 

Regards

Edited October 1, 2016 by compositor

[brian!]

I'm getting interested

I should be on commission - i'm about to make a sale!

 

My one and only client insists I itemise web hosting and development as separate items but knows I don't own hosting hardware so billing them for a service (aside from development) would not have any kind of itemisation, e.g. bandwidth or storage unless as you say I write up all the details myself so I can see the advantage there, not to mention allowing new people to order services directly from me.

 

On a side note, save creating a new thread; I don't believe that WHMCS 7 supports Weebly so do you think this will change in future because that is something I might even be interested in myself in order to knock up a quick website since while I have very advanced coding skills I'd not need to demonstrate them on my own site, only a site I have developed.

WHMCS v6 certainly supports it - Weebly have written their module and made it available in the Marketplace.

 

I know currently it says it's "Not Compatible with WHMCS v7.0.0", but I suspect with Marketplace that everything is marked like that until the module's author specifically tells WHMCS (updating their entry) that it is compatible... e.g I don't believe that WHMCS are actively testing these modules themselves in v7, they're waiting to be told by the developers... so that Weebly module might work with v7, I don't know... alternatively, it's possible that they're just being cautious and waiting for a full v7 release before declaring it to be v7 compatible.

[compositor]

One last question in this thread, with WHMCS can you make arbitrary invoices, i.e. for things not directly associated but part of a "package" such as web development services?

 

I really need to get value out of this system if I am to be paying such an exhorbitant price, particularly as there are ongoing costs in order to stay current.

[brian!]

One last question in this thread, with WHMCS can you make arbitrary invoices, i.e. for things not directly associated but part of a "package" such as web development services?

it can make Custom Invoices..

 

http://docs.whmcs.com/Invoicing#Creating_Custom_Invoices

 

I really need to get value out of this system if I am to be paying such an exorbitant price, particularly as there are ongoing costs in order to stay current.

staying current is important if you're going to have a client front-end; but if you were using it purely as a back-end billing tool and clients didn't need to use it, then there's less requirement to keep it updated (other than security updates).

[compositor]

Thanks for that information.

 

So is the system meant to follow what goes on in the wholesale system or are we still generating recurring invoices manually, e.g. is there an option when purchasing a product (for a non-reseller customer such as an admin) to generate an invoice automatically?

[brian!]

So is the system meant to follow what goes on in the wholesale system or are we still generating recurring invoices manually, e.g. is there an option when purchasing a product (for a non-reseller customer such as an admin) to generate an invoice automatically?

it's not so much following the wholesale system as controlling it - e.g if your WHMCS is linked to the wholesaler API, then when you order a domain registration in WHMCS, it will communicate with the API and register the domain, send the invoice and mark the date when the renewal invoice should be sent in x years time...

 

if the data is entered correctly, then you shouldn't need to manually create recurring invoices, WHMCS will do that for you... also, when an admin creases an order manually, they have the option, via a checkbox, of whether it generates an invoice to the client or not.

 

http://docs.whmcs.com/Order_Management#Placing_an_Order

[compositor]

Sounds good, maybe you should be on commission

 

So let me get this right, WHMCS is installed on a web hosting in a similar way to say WordPress, so I can run just that as a standalone product, or does it merely constitute a page on a website?

 

I am using Perch on a web hosting and that is simple, it does not interfere with my existing HTML based site; it just feeds content from the database when called upon so would WHMCS work in a similar way since I'd not want to be fighting with templates especially at the price being asked.

 

To reiterate, I am already resigned to getting Unbranded simply because I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams that I will be able to customise the forced advertisment but if there are menus and things I cannot change even with CSS then my concern is my job will only be made more difficult.

Edited October 1, 2016 by compositor

[brian!]

So let me get this right, WHMCS is installed on a web hosting in a similar way to say WordPress, so I can run just that as a standalone product, or does it merely constitute a page on a website?

it's a standalone product that you (and the client) accesses via a website, just like WP.

 

I am using Perch on a web hosting and that is simple, it does not interfere with my existing HTML based site; it just feeds content from the database when called upon so would WHMCS work in a similar way since I'd not want to be fighting with templates especially at the price being asked.

well you could use a Wordpress front-end to access it, if you prefer... and you can feed content from the WHMCS db to an external site if you want to... there are options, you just need to figure out exactly what you want to do with your site and if/how WHMCS interacts with it.

 

To reiterate, I am already resigned to getting Unbranded simply because I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams that I will be able to customise the forced advertisment but if there are menus and things I cannot change even with CSS then my concern is my job will only be made more difficult.

the menu can be altered in a number of ways... the top one (navbar) by action hooks, the bottom by template edits.

 

the documentation explains the basics of changing the menus - http://docs.whmcs.com/Client_Area_Navigation_Menus_Cheatsheet - but you can buy a 3rd party addon if you don't fancy using hooks to manipulate the menus.

 

I was thinking that one possible option for you might be to get a monthly lease (at least for the 1st month) - that will give you 30 days to try it out and see if it's suitable for your needs... if it's not, WHMCS have a 30-day money back guarantee, so if you contacted them anytime before the 30 days is up, you'll get a full refund... that might be a better solution rather than committing a large financial outlay from the beginning.

[compositor]

Hi,

 

So does the 30 days cover any type of license including lifetime?

[compositor]

the documentation explains the basics of changing the menus - http://docs.whmcs.com/Client_Area_Navigation_Menus_Cheatsheet - but you can buy a 3rd party addon if you don't fancy using hooks to manipulate the menus.

 

So is the output fully responsive?

 

I've noticed that the WHMCS website itself, while responsive has issues in relation to the display of images, i.e. there is no fancy pop-up for the page where media could be displayed automatically as an object (full screen or otherwise).

[brian!]

So is the output fully responsive?

define "fully"!

 

the client side is responsive, but not the admin side - there's no real change to that in v7.

[compositor]

Hi Brian,

 

I'm used the that with Perch actually, some things are and others are not but in this case some elements of the WHMCS site have massive sideways scrolling so are therefore *not* responsive.

 

Cheers

[brian!]

I'm used the that with Perch actually, some things are and others are not but in this case some elements of the WHMCS site have massive sideways scrolling so are therefore *not* responsive.

hence why I asked about "fully"

 

https://forum.whmcs.com/showthread.php?102967-Is-the-template-for-admin-area-responsive-in-version-6&p=454530#post454530

 

The "Six" client area template is full responsive as you can see in this video:

I tend to think of the responsiveness in WHMCS templates as a work in progress.

[xyzulu]

Hi,

 

So does the 30 days cover any type of license including lifetime?

 

Lifetime WHMCS licenses are no more with the price adjustments released today.

See: https://www.whmcs.com/price-change-faq/?utm_source=license-holders&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=price-change-october-2016

[compositor]

Cool (maybe).

 

I understand why this is most likely the case, and I speculate it would be because having users without updates = software vulnerability.

 

Having said that, this page:

 

https://www.whmcs.com/pricing/

 

speaks of a Hosted version, so does anyone have information regarding that?

 

All things being equal, it would not only be nice to have customers with the most resale customers paying more but assuming that someone starting out might have < 250 customers is still rent-seeking in my view and there should be an even lower plan I believe.

[brian!]

Having said that, this page:

https://www.whmcs.com/pricing/

speaks of a Hosted version, so does anyone have information regarding that?

literally, outside of WHMCS, all we know is what's on that page!

 

as soon as they launch it, they'll either be an announcement in the forums and/or in the blog... if you want info before then, you might need to contact them directly.

[yggdrasil]

So is the output fully responsive?

 

I've noticed that the WHMCS website itself, while responsive has issues in relation to the display of images, i.e. there is no fancy pop-up for the page where media could be displayed automatically as an object (full screen or otherwise).

 

Yes. Its using bootstrap and the default theme is fully responsive. How WHMCS has coded their website is irrelevant because they may be using other things and not just WHMCS alone. You can make your site that is using WHMCS fully responsive.